לתשובת המינים

Psalm 78:2

Who opens his mouth with Parables?

Matthew 13:35

"I will open my mouth with a parable, I will utter [and explain] riddles from antiquity"

The Nazarene is known for teaching by way of parable. According to Matthew 13:35 this method wasn’t merely a rhetorical style or pedagogical tool, but a fulfillment of a prophecy found in Psalm 78:2.

If we where to concede that there was reason to understand this as a Messianic prophecy, then we would also have to admit that it was within the power of any messianic-hopeful to "fulfill" this prophecy. To be certain, not everyone has the creative imagination to author compelling and meaningful parables, but on the other hand such evaluations can be highly subjective and the "prophecy" doesn’t speak to the quality of the parables.

Yet, as it stands the text gives us no basis whatsoever to understand this as a prophecy, Messianic or otherwise. That is, unless one considers the Psalmist to be "predicting" what he himself will be doing in the course of his composition and the fulfillment to be the duration of the Psalm. Psalm 78 is a rather lengthy Psalm and the initial verses are a poetical introduction of what he will be saying and why he is saying it.

Psalm 78 is a somber account of Israel’s history to future generations and an appeal to learn from the mistakes of the past. The Messiah will lead Israel like his father David, "according to the integrity of his heart, and by the skill of his hands." (vs. 72) rather than use parables to conceal his teachings from them, "The disciples came to him and asked, ‘Why do you speak to the people in parables?’ He replied, ‘The knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of heaven has been give to you, but not to them." (Matthew 13:10-11.)